Dennis Rea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dennis Rea
Dennis Rea (photo: Anne Joiner)
Background information
Born	July 7, 1957 (1957-07-07) (age 50)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genre(s)	Jazz Experimental rock Art rock Electronic music World music Progressive Rock Ambient music
Occupation(s)	Musician, writer, editor, event/concert organizer
Instrument(s)	Guitar Piano Chorded zither Kalimba
Years active	1977–present
Label(s)	Moontower Records Sky Records Soundtrack Boulevard Music First World Music Infrasound HipSync Prudence Periplum Extreme Linden Palace of Lights Noise Asia Materiali Sonori
Associated acts	LAND Earthstar Stackpole Moraine Jeff Greinke Chekov Eric Apoe Savant Identity Crisis The Vagaries Iron Kim Style Tempered Steel Ting Bu Dong
Website	Dennis Rea website MySpace: Dennis Rea

Dennis Rea (born 7 July 1957) is an American guitarist, writer, and music event organizer currently living in Seattle. Rea first came to prominence as a member of the electronic music group Earthstar in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He is probably best known in the West as a musician for his work with Jeff Greinke in Land. Rea's first solo album, Shadow In Dreams (1990), is notable as one of the first releases in mainland China by a western musician on the state record label. He currently leads the quintet Moraine and is working on his second solo release.

Rea has collaborated with Hector Zazou, Trey Gunn (formerly of King Crimson), and current REM and former Ministry drummer Bill Rieflin.^[1][2] Rea's music ranges from jazz to adventurous rock to world music to electronic music. He has performed on three continents at events including the WOMAD Festival, Beijing International Jazz Festival, Bumbershoot Arts Festival, and the Earshot Jazz Festival.^[3] He also served as the co-director of the annual Seattle Improvised Music Festival for over a decade.

Rea has also been active as a professional writer and editor for more than 20 years. His book Live at the Forbidden City was published in 2006 and details his experiences as a musician and teacher of English in China and Taiwan between 1989 and 1993 and on subsequent visits. The book documents the changes in Chinese society since 1989.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Musical career 2.1 1977 - 1981: Earthstar 2.2 1982 - 1989: Seattle and New York 2.3 1989 - 1990: Chengdu, China 2.4 1990 - 1993: Tainan, Taiwan, Identity Crisis, and The Vagaries 2.5 1993 - 2001: Seattle and LAND 2.6 Eric Apoe and They 2.7 Recent works 3 Discography 3.1 Compilations 4 Bibliography 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Early years

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Rea grew up in Utica, New York. He first took up the guitar at the age of nine, inspired by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees, not realizing that the band did not even play their own instruments at the time.^[4] Two of Rea's most important influences were the Gyorgy Ligeti compositions on the 2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack and the King Crimson album In the Court of the Crimson King. In a 2001 interview in Exposé magazine Rea comments on the impact on his music: "The former opened my ears to expanded conceptions of form and tonality and to the world of 'extended' instrumental technique, and Ligeti remains my favorite composer to this day. The latter showed me that rock music could be so much more than the usual foursquare pounding with juvenile lyrics."^[5]

Other music which influenced Rea's development included progressive rock and jazz bands Gentle Giant, Matching Mole, Van Der Graaf Generator, Henry Cow, and Centipede. He credits King Crimson and Soft Machine with his abiding interest in modern jazz and credits his brother with introducing him to the music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Albert Ayler,^[5] and Ornette Coleman. Rea also cites experimental classical composers Krzysztof Penderecki, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and John Cage as lasting influences. Guitarists who influenced Rea's playing style include John Abercrombie, Terje Rypdal, John McLaughlin, and Ralph Towner^[4]

In the early 1970s Rea formed what he describes as an "eccentric progressive rock band," Zuir,^[5] with bassist Norm Peach and drummer Daniel Zongrone. The three young musicians decided to skip college to pursue their musical careers. In 1975 the trio moved to Seattle but found no more interest in their music than they had found in upstate New York, returning to Utica the following year.^[4] Rea recalls that Zuir was "perhaps the first out-of-state rock band to seek its fortune in Seattle - only 20 years too early."^[5]

[edit] Musical career

[edit] 1977 - 1981: Earthstar

Earthstar was the brainchild of keyboardist/synthesist Craig Wuest. In the early 1970s Wuest was among the first musicians in Utica who owned a synthesizer.^[5] Wuest was heavily influenced by the German electronic music scene of the 1970s, including Klaus Schulze, Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Harmonia. Earthstar was born out of the partnership of Wuest and the members of Zuir, plus other Utica-area musicians. In 1977 Earthstar was signed by Nashville-based Moontower Records, who released the group's first album, Salterbarty Tales, the following year. Earthstar also began recording its second album, French Skyline, in 1978. Rea recalls concerts during the period when Earthstar was in Utica: "The group performed live only a handful of times, mostly at inappropriate venues like roadhouse bars and college beer halls, with predictable results."^[5]

Craig Wuest was an admirer of electronic music pioneer Klaus Schulze, with whom he struck up a correspondence. Schulze encouraged Wuest and Earthstar to come to Germany. Wuest sold his grand piano, which had played a prominent part on Salterbarty Tales, to finance the move.^[5] Rea and other Earthstar musicians joined Wuest in Germany to continue work on French Skyline. Rea describes his own decision to travel to Germany in his 2006 book Live At The Forbidden City:

"I was one of several old Utica mates invited to participate in the project. Since the prospect of making a record with international music luminaries was an offer I couldn't refuse, I dropped my plans to attend music school and instead spent half a year in the countryside near Hannover working on Earthstar sessions..."^[4]

Earthstar was signed by Hamburg-based Sky Records, who released the group's next three albums beginning with French Skyline in 1979.^[6][7] Earthstar is notable as the only American band who participated in Germany's Kosmische Musik/electronic music scene while still at its height.^[5] The association with Klaus Schulze guaranteed Earthstar recognition and respectable record sales by German electronic music standards.

During parts of 1979 and 1980 Rea lived near the town of Celle. In addition to guitar he played chorded zither and piano during subsequent Earthstar sessions and composed pieces which appeared on the third album, Atomkraft? Nein, Danke! (1981), and on tracks for a fourth album, Sleeper, the Nightlifer, which was never released.^[8] Rea left Earthstar after the Sleeper, the Nightlifer sessions and did not appear on the group's final album.

[edit] 1982 - 1989: Seattle and New York

Rea returned to Seattle after the Earthstar sessions, where he met electronic composer Kerry Leimer, who had released a number of albums on the independent Palace of Lights record label.^[9] In 1981 Leimer, looking to create experimental electronic music that was also danceable, had formed the group Savant.^[4][10]Rea joined Savant in 1982, contributing to the album The Neo-Realist (at Risk), described by Downbeat magazine as "pan-ethnic techno-dub music." At about the same time Rea met ambient musician and composer Jeff Greinke, with whom he would later collaborate extensively.^[4]

In 1983 Rea moved to New York City where he once again worked with ex-Zuir and Earthstar member Daniel Zongrone. The pair composed music for an exhibition of painter (and former Earthstar violinist) Daryl Trivieri's work at the Semaphore East Gallery in the East Village in 1985.^[2]

Rea returned to Seattle in late 1986. There Rea co-organized the then new Seattle Improvised Music Festival.^[11] He also added guitar work to Wally Shoup's 1987 release Upright and to Doug Haire's solo album Locale, which was released in 1992.^[12] During this period Rea played with the bands Color Anxiety and Calabatics, with whom he recorded tracks which appeared on compilation albums of Seattle bands in 1988. Later that year Rea played guitar on the soundtrack of the motion picture Shredder Orpheus,^[13] composed by Roland Barker. Barker, Bill Rieflin, and Amy Denio also took part in the sessions.^[11]

[edit] 1989 - 1990: Chengdu, China

In January 1989, Rea moved to Chengdu, China after his fiancée, Anne Joiner, accepted a teaching position at Chengdu University of Science & Technology as part of an academic exchange. Rea also accepted a position teaching English at the university.^[14] Rea was approached to perform for the university's guitar club and a young Chinese guitarist, Zhao Xiong, was in attendance. Zhao, who proceeded to take lessons from Rea, was president of the informal Chengdu Guitar Association and he arranged for Rea to perform at venues ranging from schools to the Worker's Cultural Palace and even a textile factory. During this time Rea began interpreting traditional Chinese music^[15] which continues to influence his current works.^[16] In late spring, 1989, Rea also lectured twice at the Sichuan Music Conservatory, which he described as "the hub of music education in southwest China and Tibet": once on jazz, once on electric guitar technique.^[17]

In the wake of the events of June 4-June 6, 1989 in Tiananmen Square and the civil unrest and violence in Chengdu which he witnessed first hand, Rea was one of less than a dozen foreigners still living in the city. To his "lasting embarrassment" he was portrayed on Chinese state television as one of a few "brave foreign friends who stayed through the conflict to show their support for the government's policies."^[18]

In late 1989 Rea was deluged with performance requests and was granted permission to organize two concerts for students at the university. He was also invited to the studios of state-owned Sichuan Radio to make a multitrack recording which was broadcast throughout the province, and also began to collaborate with well-known regional musicians.^[19]

In January 1990 Rea played guitar in support of controversial Chinese pop star Zhang Xing in concerts in Chengdu and Chongqing, making him an instant celebrity in China.^[20] In the spring of that year Rea was approached to record and produce an album of his music for state-owned China Records. His first solo album, Shadow In Dreams, was made in just four days at China Records' Chengdu studio. It was released on cassette that summer and sold over 40,000 copies throughout the country. The recording was listed among the ten best releases of 1990 by the Communist Party newspaper China Youth Daily.^[21][22]

[edit] 1990 - 1993: Tainan, Taiwan, Identity Crisis, and The Vagaries

In April 1990, Rea and his wife moved to Tainan, Taiwan. He formed the band Identity Crisis, mainly with other expatriate musicians. Identity Crisis played roughly 30 shows over the winter of 1990-1991 and had a small, largely expatriate following. They found more receptive audiences in mainland China thanks to an invitation to perform by Chinese rocker Cui Jian.^[23] Identity Crisis arrived in Beijing in early April, 1991, where they played a number of public and private performances over a 10-day period, including shows featuring Chinese rock bands such as Cobra and ADO, as well as Cui Jian himself. Cui Jian joined Identity Crisis on stage during one performance at Maxim's. The band then moved on to Chengdu for ten days where Rea arranged five sizable university concerts, a concert staged by Chengdu TV, and smaller performances at a few local bars and pubs. Identity Crisis was also invited by Yang Shichun, who had produced Shadow In Dreams, to record an album for the China Record Company. The recording sessions yielded good results but the release was ultimately blocked by company officials in Beijing for political reasons as Yang had not received proper clearance for an album by a foreign artists.^[24]

Upon their return to Tainan the members of Identity Crisis found that interest in the band had increased dramatically as a result of their association with Cui Jian and their successful tour in China, with new invitations to play at pubs, festivals, and cultural centers. They also played regularly in Taipei.^[25]

In the fall of 1991 Rea received an invitation to perform and represent the United States in the China International TV Festival. The Vagaries were a new group Rea assembled specifically for the occasion which included keyboardist/saxophonist Roland Barker, drummer Bill Rieflin, keyboardist/vocalist Charley Rowan, and electric bassist Mike Davidson, with rehearsals taking place in Seattle. ^[26] In addition to the CCTV appearance, which was viewed by hundreds of millions of people in China and neighboring countries, The Vagaries toured China with 20 concerts in the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, and Guangzhou (Canton).^[2]

A crackdown on expatriate musicians by Taiwanese officials caused Identity Crisis to dissolve. in 1992 Rea and electric bassist Ryan Berg formed an experimental instrumental rock group called Axolotl.^[27] (This group is not related to violinist Karl Bauer, who records under the same name.^[28]) Rea continued to perform with Axolotl and other groups he assembled and continued to teach English until he moved back to Seattle in February 1993. ^[29]

[edit] 1993 - 2001: Seattle and LAND

In 1993 Jeff Greinke, an ambient musician and composer Rea first met in Seattle in the early 1980s, put together a new ensemble called Land. Greinke had previously been known for his textured compositions but with Land he wanted "to push this layering technique using a four piece band..."^[30] Rea and trumpeter Lesli Dalaba were original members and were soon joined by drummer Ed Pias.^[31] Rea remained with the group throughout its lifespan. He described Land's music as "an odd blend of jazz, rock, electronic, and world music."^[32] in 1993 Rea also supported Greinke on sessions for his solo album Big Weather, released in 1994, adding guitar work to two tracks.^[33] Land's eponymous debut album was recorded in 1994 and released by the Australian Extreme label in 1995.^[30] All of Land's albums started out as live radio broadcasts with, according to Rea, "...very little re-recording or cosmetic surgery after the fact, so they are accurate representations of the band's live sound."^[5]

A May, 1996 concert broadcast formed the basis for most of Land's second album, Archipelago.^[34] Later that year Rea arranged for Land to tour China, performing in Beijing, Kunming, and Chengdu^[32] , as well as Hong Kong and Macau, in November and December.^[35] The tour included a performance at the Beijing International Jazz Festival.^[36][37] Rea also performed with Land's Lesli Dalaba (trumpet), guzheng virtuoso Wang Yong, Austrian violinist Andreas Schreiber, Dutch drummer Han Bennink, and Claudio Puntin and Steffen Schorn on horns at Keep In Touch, reportedly China's first internet cafe.^[32] The jam session produced a mixture of American style free jazz and European influenced improvisation blended at times with traditional Chinese music. The results were captured on the album Free Touching: Live in Beijing at Keep in Touch, which was released as a double CD in March, 2004.^[38][39] February 1997 also saw the recording of "Deep", the final track for Archipelago,^[34] with finishing touches completed in July.^[31] The album was released later that year.^[34] Rea also contributed guitar work to the track "Threads," which appeared on Greinke's 1998 album Swimming.^[40]

By 1998 Land had gone through a number of personnel changes and had developed a much harder-edged sound.^[5] Andrew Bartlett, writing in a 1999 article in Seattle Weekly, described the music at that time, in part: "LAND's sound is a swirl — a clicking, cascading, jolting mix of sonorities and styles." Rea is quoted in the article: "The current lineup is more of a 'rock' band than earlier editions, and is much more explosive and in-your-face. Our connection with ambient music is pretty tenuous at this point."^[41] The final incarnation of the band, which recorded the album Road Movies between June, 1998 and February 1999, included Greinke, Rea, Dalaba, bassist Fred Chalenor, and drummer Bill Rieflin, who had previously worked with Rea in The Vagaries and on the Shredder Orpheus soundtrack. Road Movies was not released until 2001.^[42] It was named one of the Top Ten releases of 2001 by Pulse! (Instrumental/Ambient) and the Seattle Weekly (Jazz).^[43] Lesli Dalaba decided to leave Land later that year^[5] and the remaining members agreed to part company amicably.^[35]

During this period Rea also worked in other bands in parallel to his work in Land. In 1997 Rea renewed his collaboration with Ryan Berg in a reformed Axolotl. A year later they were joined by guitarist Bill Horist. Drummer Randy Doak completed the quartet which performed extensively in the Pacific Northwest. Rea describes Axolotl's music on his website: "...original compositions ranging from maniacal punk-jazz to stirring anthems to twisted neo-metal, interspersed with explosive improvisations."^[27] The band received extensive regional press and did go into the studio but the recordings were never completed. Axolotl disbanded in 2002.^[27]

Between 1998 and 2001 Rea was also the leader of the improvisational free jazz quartet Stackpole,^[44] which won a Golden Ear award from Earshot Jazz magazine for Best Northwest Outside Jazz Group in 2000.^[1] Stackpole released a self-titled album in 2001.^[44] During this period Rea also appeared on albums by Rik Wright and the duo of Craig Flory and Doug Haire. He also contributed to two tracks on the Infrasound Collective' compilation album Owasso Night Atlas, released in 2000.^[22]

[edit] Eric Apoe and They

In February, 1993 Rea joined The Furnace, the original band supporting veteran singer-songwriter Eric Apoe. The band gave it's first performance on New Year's Eve that year.^[45] Rea has appeared on all of Apoe's albums to date, beginning with Songs of Love and Doom, released in 1996. In the wake of some personnel changes the band was renamed Eric Apoe and They and has released three additional albums: Dream Asylum (2000), Radioation (2002), and Book of Puzzles (2005). ^[22] Apoe describes his music with They as "...a blend of American and European Roots music" with a "...combination of electric and acoustic instruments..." Rea has also performed in over 200 concerts given by Eric Apoe and They to date and remains a member of the band.^[45]

[edit] Recent works

Since 2002 Rea has worked on multiple projects in parallel. In one of his most notable guest appearances to date he contributed guitar work to the song "In the Middle of the Night" on Hector Zazou's 2003 album Strong Currents.^[22]

Rea's most unusual project is Tempered Steel, a trio with experimental musician Ffej and instrument builder Frank Junk playing amplified and processed thumb pianos, also known as kalimbas. Ffej bought one of Junk's thumb pianos in 1995. "When he learned that seasoned local guitarist Dennis Rea was planing on doing occasional processed thumb piano performances, the idea for forming this group was impossible to resist."^[46] Since 2004 the group has given concerts in the Seattle area.^[46] In 2007 Tempered Steel began studio recordings for a forthcoming CD. The Stranger describes their music: "Tempered Steel dubs out, distorts, and layers gentle tones into blipping polyrhythmic soundscapes."^[47] A sample of the music can be found on Ffej's MySpace page.

During this period Rea also formed the band Jetlegrs with former Axototl bandmate Ryan Berg, drummer Olli Klomp, and violinist Karl Scheer.^[48] In 2005 Rea organized a tour of Taiwan for the band together with Chekov, a Munich, Germany-based electronic jazz group put together by former Identity Crisis bassist Atze Ton.^[49] The bands played in the cities of Tainan, Kaohsiung, Anping, and Taipei between April 21 and May 2, 2005.^[50] During the tour Rea played guitar with both groups.^[49]

In March 2007 Rea and Klomp traveled to Munich, meeting Atze Ton and another early 1990s Identity Crisis member, keyboardist Volker Wiedersheim. They formed a new band, Ting Bu Dong.^[51] (Chinese for "I hear, but I don't understand.")^[16] The quartet went into the studio to record what will be their first release. Tracks from the forthcoming CD can currently be heard on MySpace. In addition Rea sat in on Chekov recording sessions, contributing guitar work to their piece "For Absent Friends," which will appear on their 2008 debut release. The two bands also played live at the Monofaktur club in Munich.^[16] Rea has organized a four city tour of Taiwan to take place in April 2008 for both Ting Bu Dong and Chekov.^[49][51] In addition, on April 12 and 13, 2008, Rea, Ton, and Wiedersheim will reunite with keyboardist Bryce Whitwam, and drummer Tom Vest, two of the original core members of Identity Crisis, for three reunion concerts in Tainan, the first performance by the band since 1992.^[16]

Rea is also a member of Iron Kim Style, which he describes as an "explosive improvisational jazz-rock quintet."^[2] Earshot Jazz described the music as "inspired by Olivier Messiaen, electric-period Miles Davis, and North Korean martial music."^[1] In his blog trumpeter Bill Jones wrote that Iron Kim Style started out as an informal group of Seattle musicians who simply thought it "the idea of getting together would be a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon." In time the group began to meet regularly, play local shows, and gave a performance on KEXP radio. In 2007 Iron Kim Style went into the studio to begin work on a forthcoming CD which Rea describes as "progressing nicely" as of January, 2008.^[52]

Rea also went into the studio in 2007 to begin recording his second solo album. The forthcoming CD is a mixture of adapted traditional Asian music and Rea's own compositions and improvisations of Asian-inspired music. Guest musicians participating in the project include Stuart Dempster (trombone), Jim DeJoie (bass flute, bass clarinet), Greg Campbell (percussion), Elizabeth Falconer (koto), John Falconer (shakahuchi), and Paul Kikuchi (percussion). In January, 2008 Rea was awarded a residency at Jack Straw Productions which has allowed him to make rapid progress on the project. He will unveil new pieces at a composer spotlight at Jack Straw Productions on March 12, 2008. Rea expects to complete the recording by spring 2008. ^[16]

Currently Rea also performs regularly in the Pacific Northwest with his band Moraine, which he describes as "an electric string quartet plus drums."^[53] An Earshot Jazz magazine profile describes Rea's compositions for Moraine, in part: "He has arranged for it a small number of choice Chinese tunes, old and recent, traditional and not, which become gorgeous jazz- and rock-inflected pieces in his and his colleagues’ hands. But the group covers a lot of terrain, drawing on 'fractured bebop,' as Rea puts it, as well as math-rock – cranked up, rhythmically complex rock..."^[1] Moraine has also gone into the studio to work on a future release.

[edit] Discography

In Earthstar 1978 : Salterbarty Tales (studio album) 1979 : French Skyline (studio album) 1981 : Atomkraft? Nein, Danke! (studio album) In Savant 1983 : The Neo-Realist (At Risk) (studio album) In LAND 1995 : LAND (studio album) 1997 : Archipelago (live album) 2001 : Road Movies (studio album) In Eric Apoe and They 2000 : Dream Asylum (studio album) 2002 : Radioation (studio album) 2005 : Book of Puzzles (studio album) In Stackpole 2001: Stackpole (studio album) with Han Bennink, Wang Yong, Andreas Schreiber, Steffen Schorn, Claudio Puntin, and Lesli Dalaba 2004 : Free Touching: Live in Beijing at Keep in Touch (live album) In Ting Bu Dong 2008 : Ting Bu Dong (studio album) Solo Albums 1990 : Shadow In Dreams (studio album) supporting Wally Shoup 1987 : Upright (studio album) supporting Doug Haire 1992 : Locale (studio album)

supporting Jeff Greinke 1994 : Big Weather (studio album) Tracks: The Happy Isles, River Limba 1998 : Swimming (studio album) Track: Threads supporting Eric Apoe 1996 : Songs of Love and Doom (studio album) supporting Craig Flory and Doug Haire 1998 : Wigwam Bendix (studio album) Track: Wigwam Breakdown supporting Rik Wright 2000 : Bleeding Laughter (studio album) Track: Emotional Slang supporting Hector Zazou 2003 : Strong Currents (studio album) Track: "In the Middle of the Night" supporting Chekov 2008 : Chekov (studio album) Track: "For Absent Friends" [edit] Compilations with Color Anxiety 1988 : Secretions (C/Z Records LP sampler) Track: Body Parts with Calabatics 1988 : Third Seattle Improvised Music Festival" Track: untitled improvisation with Infrasound Collective 2000 : Owasso Night Atlas Tracks: Edge Trio, Tentacle Steel Mill Session

[edit] Bibliography

• 2006 : Live at the Forbidden City

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Rea, Dennis. Dennis Rea Discography. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
• Rea, Dennis. Live At The Forbidden City (iUniverse, 2006) ISBN 0-595-39048-X, pp 18-19.

[edit] External links

• First World Music home page. Retrieved October 18, 2007.